Factbook dossier
Background
The Pacific coast of Nicaragua was settled as a Spanish colony in the early 16th century. Independence from Spain was declared in 1821, and the country became an independent republic in 1838. Britain occupied the Caribbean Coast in the first half of the 19th century, but gradually ceded control of the region in subsequent decades. By 1978, violent opposition to governmental manipulation and corruption resulted in a short-lived civil war that brought a civil-military coalition to power in 1979, spearheaded by Marxist Sandinista guerrillas led by Daniel ORTEGA Saavedra. Nicaraguan aid to leftist rebels in El Salvador prompted the US to sponsor anti-Sandinista Contra guerrillas through much of the 1980s. After losing free and fair elections in 1990, 1996, and 2001, ORTEGA was elected president in 2006, 2011, 2016, and most recently in 2021. Municipal, regional, and national-level elections since 2008 have been marred by widespread irregularities. Democratic institutions have lost their independence under the ORTEGA regime as the president has assumed full control over all branches of government, as well as cracking down on a nationwide pro-democracy protest movement in 2018 and shuttering over 3,300 civil society organizations between 2018 and 2024. In the lead-up to the 2021 presidential election, authorities arrested over 40 individuals linked to the opposition, including presidential candidates, private sector leaders, NGO workers, human rights defenders, and journalists. Only five lesser-known presidential candidates from mostly small parties allied to ORTEGA's Sandinistas…
Location
Central America, bordering both the Caribbean Sea and the North Pacific Ocean, between Costa Rica and Honduras
Area
total : 130,370 sq km land: 119,990 sq km water: 10,380 sq km
Natural resources
gold, silver, copper, tungsten, lead, zinc, timber, fish
Natural hazards
destructive earthquakes; volcanoes; landslides; extremely susceptible to hurricanes volcanism: significant volcanic activity; Cerro Negro (728 m) is one of Nicaragua's most active volcanoes; its lava flows and ash have been known to cause significant damage to farmland and buildings; other historically active volcanoes include Concepcion, Cosiguina, Las Pilas, Masaya, Momotombo, San Cristobal, and Telica
Population
total: 6,739,380 (2025 est.) male: 3,304,133 female: 3,435,247
Ethnic groups
Mestizo (mixed Indigenous and White) 69%, White 17%, Black 9%, Indigenous 5%
Languages
Spanish (official) 99.5%, Indigenous 0.3%, Portuguese 0.1%, other 0.1% (2020 est.) major-language sample(s): La Libreta Informativa del Mundo, la fuente indispensable de informaci n b sica. (Spanish) The World Factbook, the indispensable source for basic information. note: English and indigenous languages found on the Caribbean coast
Religions
Roman Catholic 44.9%, Protestant 38.7% (Evangelical 38.2, Adventist 0.5%), other 1.2%, (includes Jehovah's Witness and Church of Jesus Christ), believer but not belonging to a church 1%, agnostic or atheist 0.4%, none 13.7%, unspecified 0.2% (2020 est.)
Environmental issues
deforestation; soil erosion; water pollution; drought
Government type
presidential republic
Capital
name: Managua geographic coordinates: 12 08 N, 86 15 W time difference: UTC-6 (1 hour behind Washington, DC, during Standard Time) etymology: the name comes from Lake Managua, whose name is composed of the Guaran words ama (rain) and nagua (spirit) and refers to a local deity
Executive branch
chief of state: President Jose Daniel ORTEGA Saavedra (since 10 January 2007) head of government: President Jose Daniel ORTEGA Saavedra (since 10 January 2007) cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president election/appointment process: president and vice president directly elected on the same ballot by qualified plurality vote for a 6-year term (no term limits) most recent election date: 7 November 2021 election results: 2021: Jose Daniel ORTEGA Saavedra reelected president for a fourth consecutive term; percent of vote - Jose Daniel ORTEGA Saavedra (FSLN) 75.9%, Walter ESPINOZA (PLC) 14.3%, Guillermo OSORNO (CCN) 3.3%, Marcelo MONTIEL (ALN) 3.1%, other 3.4% 2016: Jose Daniel ORTEGA Saavedra reelected president for a third consecutive term; percent of vote - Jose Daniel ORTEGA Saavedra (FSLN) 72.4%, Maximino RODRIGUEZ (PLC) 15%, Jose del Carmen ALVARADO (PLI) 4.5%, Saturnino CERRATO Hodgson (ALN) 4.3%, other 3.7% expected date of next election: 1 November 2026 note: the president is both chief of state and head of government
Legislative branch
legislature name: National Assembly (Asamblea Nacional) legislative structure: unicameral number of seats: 91 (all directly elected) electoral system: proportional representation scope of elections: full renewal term in office: 5 years most recent election date: 11/7/2021 parties elected and seats per party: Sandinista National Liberation Front (FSLN) (75); Liberal and Constitutionalist Party (PLC) (9); Other (6) percentage of women in chamber: 54.9% expected date of next election: November 2026
Real GDP (purchasing power parity)
$52.989 billion (2024 est.) $51.153 billion (2023 est.) $48.985 billion (2022 est.) note: data in 2021 dollars
Real GDP per capita
$7,700 (2024 est.) $7,500 (2023 est.) $7,300 (2022 est.) note: data in 2021 dollars
Inflation rate (consumer prices)
4.6% (2024 est.) 8.4% (2023 est.) 10.5% (2022 est.) note: annual % change based on consumer prices
Exports - partners
USA 51%, Mexico 12%, El Salvador 6%, Canada 6%, Switzerland 4% (2023) note: top five export partners based on percentage share of exports
Imports - partners
USA 24%, China 13%, Mexico 9%, Honduras 9%, Guatemala 8% (2023) note: top five import partners based on percentage share of imports
Military and security forces
Armed Forces of Nicaragua (formal name is Army of Nicaragua or Ejercito de Nicaragua, EN): Land Force; Naval Force; Air Force (2025) note: both the military and the Nicaraguan National Police (Polic a Nacional de Nicaragua or PNN) report directly to the president; Parapolice, which are non-uniformed, armed, and masked units with marginal tactical training and loose hierarchical organization, act in coordination with government security forces and report to the National Police; they have been used to suppress anti-government protesters
Military expenditures
0.5% of GDP (2024 est.) 0.6% of GDP (2023 est.) 0.6% of GDP (2022 est.) 0.6% of GDP (2021 est.) 0.6% of GDP (2020 est.)